Creeper World 3 is what happens when cellular automata takes over a strategy simulation. Instead of discreet units that attack your base, a fluid-like substance spreads over the terraformable terrain. Your base, your weapons, your strategy... you must adapt them all.

Creeper World 3: Cellular automata takes over a strategy simulation.

Creeper World 3 bends what it means to be a strategy title.

Instead of heavily scripted A.I., players find themselves engaging an enemy with theoretically predictable behavior yet which is shockingly interesting to engage. Players can build fortifications and stick around forever. Players can go for domination, quick strategic kills, or amass huge stockpiles of resources. Some play for speed, others to create art. Tiny maps, large maps, five minute missions, five day missions... the simulation scales to handle all of these scenarios.

User generated content is critical and supported at multiple levels in Creeper World 3.

Dial up worlds using the DMD (Dial Map Device) and tweak dozens of constraints. Then, play and share the addresses via an on-line database. Create your own maps using the built-in map editor and upload and share on-line. Or, join with thousands of other players and peruse the databases of worlds created by others. Want to create a new weapon, a unit, an enemy, or an effect? Use the built in scripting language to create what you dream. Hundreds of engine commands are exposed and examples abound on the forums and grow daily. You can even take the built in story maps and make your own. In fact, all of the built in story missions were written using the built-in editor and the CRPL scripting language.

Some of the high level features are:

Thermodynamic/fluid physics based play.

Billions of total missions.

Story arc with insane and unique enemies.

Explore hundreds of star systems with thousands of worlds in Prospector missions.

Hundreds of hand crafted missions in the Alpha Sector.

Dial up your own mission worlds using the 'Dial Map Device' and share the address.

Create your own maps using the included map editor.

Play on maps of variable size, dimension, and shape.

Script your own enemies and effects using the built in scripting language.

Avoid it all costs. There is a good chance, if you were born before the 90s,or even after, have a history of strategy games addiction and are sufferingfrom the almost always fatal 'just one more turn' syndrome; well, this gamemay eat your soul. That what is left. As for it being real time, you'll just beadvancing your defenses one tiny bit more, just getting that one upgrade,maybe, yeah, well, that strategic position and then, then call it a day.

You know what? From that position, the other two, just saying, be a matterof minutes, at most. Well, that was fast, I might just set up initial positionson the next planet, for tomorrow. Huh, when I set the alarm clock I still hadeight hours to sleep, now there are only five left? Damn it! I'm not going toschool anymore!

I won't talk about the gameplay. Things are already worse as they are now.Don't let yourself get fooled by it's uniqueness, the well balanced challenges,the well worked out story line or even the insane replayability.

You've still got the chance at a life! Don't waste it! I almost escaped.But I did reinstall Creeper World. And I will be in Arc. Eternal.

***Written using a key provided by the Developer for review purposes***

Creeper World 3: Arc Eternal is a unique tower defense game/RTS that is more tower offense than defense, something I haven't seen before. You are a captain of a ship who has just woken up after a very very long time in cryo sleep and in the time you have been gone humanity has vanished as all the civilasations that once were have been wiped out by the creeper, a strange organism which destroys everything it touches. At the time of writing this review I have only put in three hours and have barely scratched the surface but as you can see from other reviewers' play time there is a lot to this game and a lot of replayability.

+Nice pixel graphics+Simple UI and great controls+A very interesting story +Interesting concept, instead of building towers in the path of an oncoming enemy you create networks of towers and take the fight to the enemy. There are small enemy towers which emitt the creepers which gradually spread across the map, using towers you have to beat back the creepers until your network of towers is close enough to use a special offensive tower which destroys the emitter. The gameplay is quite hard to explain and I probably haven't done it justice so it's best to watch some gameplay videos.+Your towers can be moved as the creepers are beaten back out of range of your towers+It's challenging without feeling too difficult or unfair+The mission menu is an interactive starmap and you get to see your ship travel from one planet or star system to another+Nice soundtrack+Can be paused at any point during a mission+You can create and share your own levels

-Either some people are god-like at this game or the leaderboards have been cheated-If you make any mistakes with what you build early on in a mission it usually ruins your chances of winning, for example if you don't build enough reactors at the start and you run low on energy later in the game you will most likely be destroyed. It adds another layer of difficulty but it can be pretty annoying

Verdict:9

An absolutely brilliant game that is more like an RTS than a TD with an impressively good story, a must buy for fans of either genre.